Why Read the Bible: To Learn How to Cultivate Real Hope

LORD, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done wonderful things,
things planned long ago.
On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
from all the earth.
The LORD has spoken.
In that day they will say,
“Surely this is our God;
we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the LORD, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

–Isaiah 25.1, 6-9 (NIV)

We live in a world created good but which has gone terribly wrong. We needn’t look any further than the daily news to know this is true. The same world that presents us with breathtaking natural beauty also gives us natural disasters of all kinds. The same world that allows us to develop intimate fellowship with, and a deep love for, family and friends also confronts us with all kinds of human evil–injustice, poverty, racism, exploitation of all sorts, murder, violence, and betrayal to name just a few. And behind all this nastiness lurks the knowledge that we are mortal, that no matter what we do to prevent it or how hard we try, we and our loved ones are going to die someday. We don’t like to talk or think about it, but that does not change the rules of the game. All of this can fill us with fear, despair, and hopelessness.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Fear, despair, and hopelessness do not have to have the final say. I am not suggesting there is some kind of magic potion that will suddenly make us immune from all that can go wrong with the heart or this world. I do not know why bad things can happen to good people because I am not God.

What I am suggesting is this. Instead of wondering why God allows evil in his good creation and creatures created in his own Image, i.e., human beings, we ought to be asking ourselves this question. Are we going to try to deal with our hurts and heartaches on our own–surely an exercise in utter futility if we are honest with ourselves–or are we are going to do what is necessary to cultivate a power within ourselves, yet beyond ourselves, that will help us deal with all that can go wrong in this life with real power and grace?

Let me explain.

In today’s passage from Isaiah, we get another glimpse of God’s promised New Creation. In wondrous eschatological language (language that speaks of the end times), God promises to put to right all the wrongs of his current creation, wrongs that were caused by human sin and rebellion. Among other things, he promises to wipe the tears from our faces and abolish death forever. All of this, of course, will evoke our praise and thanksgiving to God for doing the impossible for us. What a glorious and magnificent promise!

The fifty-cent question is this, however. Do you believe God’s promise?

Well, if you do not know God and the history of his working in the lives of his people, especially your own, there is little reason for you to believe it. After all, how many of us when we stop to think about it will readily accept the word of a perfect stranger as being true? Most of us do not. But we do believe the word of those whom we know intimately and trust because of their past track record with us. Likewise with God.

So how do we get to know God? Start by reading his story in the Bible. Get to know that God is true to his word, that he is utterly reliable and never inconsistent. Read the stories of Abraham, Moses, Deborah, Ruth and Naomi, Mary, and Paul to see what I mean. Stop and read passages like today’s. Read them repeatedly until they become part of you so that you do not forget (and if my experience is typical, you will forget if you do not do this).

Take a couple of minutes each day out of your busy life and consciously look for God’s blessings in it, even if you are experiencing utter chaos at the moment. You may find those blessings in the circumstances of your life, good and bad. You may find them in family or friends or even from those who do not like you and wish to see you harmed. You may find them from a sudden insight or an “aha!” moment. The opportunities are literally endless, but you have to take the time and make the effort. Otherwise, the distractions of life will get the better of you and you will forget.

Part of the hope of knowing the promise of New Creation is that while it points to a time in the future it also reminds us that the God who promises us this glorious hope is also the same God who loves us and is intimately involved in our lives right now. It makes no sense at all to think that the same good God who promises us New Creation in Christ is not the same good God who loves us here and now. God is not schizophrenic. He isn’t bad to us now and then good to us at some future time. He does not change and so the promise of New Creation serves to remind us of his goodness and love for us right here and now. Mysteries and enigmas in this life there surely are, but that is where faith comes in, a faith built on past experience and knowledge of God so that we are convinced of his trustworthiness in all circumstances. This in turns helps fortify our faith and build our trust.

We will never be immune to the hurts and heartaches of life. But we can deal with them with real hope and power, the very hope and power of God, and that will make all the difference for us. We acquire that hope first and foremost by the grace of God, but we have to do our part in developing the relationship. We have to get to know God. We have to learn how he has dealt and is dealing with his people. In other words, we have to ultimately learn about Jesus Christ and his Gospel, and a good place to start is by reading about it in Scripture. As you do, by God’s grace you will appropriate it. You will move from knowing about to knowing. And when that happens you will find that not even the gates of Hell can shake your hope and trust in God and his promises.

If you are looking for a New Year’s resolution, do yourself a favor and make this it. Do the things necessary to cultivate the basis for real hope in your life. If you have not already done so, ask God to help you make him the center of your life, not you. If you do, you have the very promise of God and the testimony of countless witnesses that you will not be disappointed.